The Asus Zenwatch will land on the lower end of the Android Wear price spectrum when it launches on November 9.

According to TechCrunch, the retro-styled smartwatch will launch through Best Buy with a $199 price tag. It'll also go on sale through the U.S. Google Play Store at a later date.

Unlike most current Android Wear watches, the Zenwatch has a more unisex design, with a tan, stitched-leather strap that matches some of the trim around the metallic watch body. The face of the watch is covered in gently curved glass, though it's still on the large side due to the thick black bezel around the display.

The Zenwatch will have some software tweaks not found in other Android Wear watches, including a cover-to-mute function, a built-in phone-finding app, and a double-tap action that users can set to perform various tasks. An included Asus Wellness app will measure steps taken, calories burned, heart rate, exercise intensity and relaxation level.

On the downside, the Zenwatch uses a snap-on charging cradle, rather than a no-fuss wireless dock like you get with the Moto 360. And with an AMOLED display similar to that of Samsung's Gear Live, don't expect stellar outdoor readability. But at this price, it's hard to be surprised about a couple of compromises.

Why this matters: We haven't seen any $200 Android Wear watches since Samsung's Gear Live launched in July. From our early hands-on impressions, the Zenwatch seems like a much classier device. If its software features are well-executed, it could have just enough selling points to consider instead of the front-running LG G Watch R.

This story, "Asus ZenWatch will cost $199 when it launches at Best Buy November 9" was originally published by
Greenbot.

To comment on this article and other PCWorld content, visit our Facebook page or our Twitter feed.